Winds Voice
by Renn Skye
Summary: Zutara Tophaang insane revenge thirsty exprincess coaching powerful girl through her dreams suicide and a bit of Kataang thrown in for spice. What more must I say? Future setting. Raiting will most likely be moved up by chapter ten. Please R&R!
1. Visitors

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar; this is just Fan Fiction.

**Somethings you should know:** This story takes place several years after the war against the Firenation. Some things have changed over all that time. Sokka is dead (Oh no! What am I going to do for comic relief?)… Almost all of the Firenation was whipped out during the final battle, only a hand full of fire benders remain. Zuko fell into a volcano (as the blue spirit at the time) - or rather was pushed by his now dead sister, Azula - no-one could have survived a fall like that, not even a firebender. Katara thinks Aang killed the Blue Spirit – with whom she had fallen in love - they haven't spoken since that battle.

**Authors note:** Sorry if the people are really out of character, it's hard to keep them in character for me. Also, you should be warned that I'm a supporter of Zutara – I don't care if it doesn't make sense, or if there's no supporting evidence – it just seems right to me!

The wind howled loudly over the open plain creating a mournful wail as it traveled into the trees beyond. The tortured cry of some lonesome animal added to the nighttime symphony. A little house stood at the edge of the clearing, nestled warmly in by the trees around it. It was a modest house, as if the person in it didn't really care for furnishings and such, like they just wanted to forget. Attached to the back of the house was a largish barn that seemed to get more attention than the house.

Presently, the curtains pulled back to reveal a round white edged face with a brown center. It stuffed a small nut into its mouth, and then looked back to the window. Two ball shaped green eyes looked out over the landscape.

"Ook" the lemur chirped, looking intently at a dark shape moving on the horizon.

"What is it Momo?" a voice asked. A tallish man probably in his late twenties or early thirties came to the window. His head was round and had a large blue arrow tattooed to the top of it, he had large ears that looked like he'd never grow into them, and his mouth was slightly to the right instead of dead center. His eyes looked tiered, like he had given up on life, defiantly not the high spirited Airbender he had been all those years ago, not even the determined yet slightly terrified boy that hadn't quite mastered all the elements he had been on the day the Firenation was invaded. His shoulders sagged in a way that looked depressing. Nothing was the same since the day he won the war. All his friendships seemed to slowly dissipate, if not end suddenly.

Sokka had died due to a wound received during the battle that even Katara's healing abilities couldn't fix. Toph - though she had come to help with the final strike against the Firenation - had gone back home again, she would never give up Earth Rumble 6 and since she couldn't read or write she and Aang eventually fell out of touch. Katara had somehow convinced herself that Aang had killed the Blue Spirit and had never forgiven him for that fact.

Aang looked out the window, squinting at the dark shape until he could see the outline of three people, two large, and one small like a child. They seemed to be traveling, but so late at night? It seemed odd that they hadn't set up camp by now. It was cold out, and they would need a place to stay, perhaps they had seen his home and would come requesting shelter. For once in what seemed like a blue moon there was a possibility that Aang would have someone else besides Appa and Momo for company. He had been alone for so long that the thought of guests of any kind caused Aang to smile. He missed having friends, and he'd like to have a conversation with someone who could actually reply to him in a human tongue.

Aang was at the door almost before the knock came. He had busied himself cleaning out Aapa's barn while he waited for the travelers to come over to his home. The second he heard the tap he had rushed to the door, barely able to contain his excitement at visitors. He was all smiles up to the point where he saw the face of the first in the group. The second he met the strong amber gaze his face was a mass of shock, his jaw dropped, and he stared.

The mans face was riddled with burn marks, instead of just the one he had harbored in days of old, but he was still unmistakably the prince had had been when Aang was twelve. You could see it in his stance, the way he carried his head, and in his eyes. He was still proud, even though he had no empire left. His whole nation had fallen, everything he had was been destroyed before his eyes and yet he was still the same strong person that he was before all the tragedy that had befallen him. Most shocking though was that fact that –

"You're not dead" Aang whispered in shock. "I saw you fall. No one could survive that!" Zuko evenly returned Aang's stare, the look of shock that had been on his face only moments before was gone now.

"We come here to ask of shelter for the night" was all that he said as if Aang had never spoken, as if they had never met. Perhaps they hadn't, perhaps this wasn't Zuko after all, perhaps Aang's mind was playing tricks on him, but he doubted it. Aang looked at Zuko for a few seconds more, deciding weather or not to let him in. He was about to say no when he remembered that in the last moments he had seen him Zuko had been fighting his sister, Azula. He had been on Aang side.

"I would not turn down shelter to anyone" He said evenly, playing the same I-don't-know-you game as Zuko. His gaze swept over the rest of the group. The other traveler – a woman – had her back to him, and was keeling down next to a child. She had long brown hair, it was rolled in a similar way to how Katara once did her hair, but instead of a braid, the river of brown cascaded down her back freely. She stood up, her movements as fluid as water. She was like the Katara Aang remembered in more ways than one. Then she turned around and for a second time that night Aang's jaw dropped.

"It's rude to stare" The child said. This was followed by a stern look from her mothers clear blue eyes.

"Well it is!" the girl said as she was shooed inside by her mother. The woman looked expectantly at Aang, waiting for a greeting of some sort, but all Aang could do is stand there, dumbfounded. After what felt like an eternity or two Aang opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Zuko coming outside once again.

"Katara it's freezing out here" He said "You'll get sick, come inside!" She gave him a look that said 'you worry too much,' then followed him inside.

Aang came after them quickly, closing the door behind him a bit too loudly. The whole world spun, memories and thoughts flew unbidden into his head. The two thoughts that stuck were: 'Why won't she talk to me? Zuko's alive. He must have told her that I'm not responsible for what happened to the Blue Spirit that day. Why does she still hate me?' and 'She has a kid?!?' He wasn't sure which one hurt more. Instead of voicing these thoughts though, he just removed four bowls from a cupboard and a loaf of bread.

"You must be hungry after your travels" he said, it took all his abilities to keep his voice even and not to burst out with questions. "Would you like soup? It's not the best, but it's something." They agreed to being famished and Aang poured the soup with shaking hands, placing it on his small table and putting the bread in the center.

"Real food!" the girl cried joyously and dug in. Aang smiled, she was defiantly Sokka's niece. At least they had something to remember him by.

The dinner was silent for the most part, the air filled with awkward tension. After about half an hour had gone by Aang couldn't take it anymore.

"Why won't you talk to me, Katara?" he said at last. "Zuko's not dead he must have told you it wasn't me that pushed him! Why are you still mad at me?" Katara looked at Aang with tears in her eyes, but still didn't say anything. Her hand went to her neck almost involuntarily, Aang's gaze followed her hand and when in reached her neck he saw a large burn mark scarring her flawless skin. He turned to Zuko, his rage blatantly obvious on his face.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" He shouted, the wind started to rise, and the edges of his tattoos got brighter, but before he could enter the Avatar state Katara placed his hand on his arm, and pulled him down, shaking her head.

"It wasn't me" Zuko said. "There was an… accident. I got there fast enough to save Katara, but I was too late for her voice." He looked down at his hands, an ashamed look on his face. "I failed."

Katara looked to Zuko with love-filled eyes that made Aang's belly tighten and placed her hand on his arm as if to say 'you tried.' 'Why does she have to love him?' Aang thought 'I loved her first! He tried to kill us more than once and I'm the one that saved her! It's not fair!' he would, of course, never say any of this, just like he never found the courage to tell Katara how he felt about her. And now it was too late to do that.

"You could have healed yourself!" Aang insisted, turning to Katara. "You can still heal yourself! There's no reason not to, is there? Why won't you fix it?" Aang looked desperate; he hated seeing Katara like this, she looked so unhappy.

"She tried, trust me, she tried" Zuko answered for her, as Katara turned her blue gaze onto Aang once more, but her hand stayed on Zuko's arm. "It was all she could do to heal the vocal chords back in one piece. That's one reason were so grateful that we found you." A look of confusion crossed Aang's face as Zuko continued. "Only an realized Airbender, -" for some reason the daughter gave a little huff at this "- like you, could fully heal Katara."

"How could I help her?" Aang asked, looking a bit confused, but feeling proud that he could help her where Zuko could not. "If her healing couldn't fix it, what could airbending do for her?" Zuko looked at Aang with bewilderment on his face, as if he expected Aang to know already, but how could he?

"You don't know, do you?" Aang asked. Zuko shook his head "Well, now were really screwed." Aang said with a sigh. Katara tapped him on the shoulder and gave him an expectant look. She was holding a piece of paper in one hand.

"Mother knows" the little girl said from the other end of the table. "If you give her something to write with she can tell you" then she looked back to her soup bowl and idly twirled her long oddly colored pale hair between her thumb and four finger, as if she hadn't said anything. Aang got up and quickly fetched a quill for Katara to write with. She began scribbling things down immediately, and when Aang looked over her shoulder it wasn't how to fix her voice.

"You can say all that when you've got your voice back!" Aang and Zuko said almost in unison. They looked at each other surprised to be agreeing on something. Katara shot them both a glare for reading over her shoulder, but she crossed out the extra thoughts and began writing on the back. When she was done she handed Aang the parchment. He read it and his eyes grew wide.

"You want me to do WHAT?"

A while later Katara was sitting at the table, resting one delicate hand on her neck. It was a slightly reddish color as if it had been rubbed for several hours by sandpaper, and it stung when Katara touched the spot, but it was worth it. Her daughter was sitting next to her on the chair, her head resting against Katara's side, half asleep, her long blonde hair draped over her mothers shoulder and her eyelids drooped almost to a close.

"Time for someone to go to bed" Zuko said, coming over to the little girl.

"Dad!" she protested, struggling to sit up. "I'm not tired!" She threw off the statement by letting out a huge yawn.

"Okay" she said "So maybe I'm a _little_ tired" she got up and followed Zuko to where Aang had shown them the extra bedroom, rubbing her blue-grey eyes the whole way there. Katara smiled as she saw them go, she loved her little girl dearly.

"That's Kenyasan, my daughter" she said to Aang. Her voice was horse, and it wasn't the most comfortable thing to speak, but what did you expect after not being able to talk for three years?

"I never thought of Zuko as a father" Aang said, turning his head away to hide the tears that he could feel welling up in the corner of his eyes. He suddenly grew very intent on washing his hands for what seemed to be the twentieth time. He continued to bend the water onto his hands and back into the bucket.

"Aang" Katara said, suddenly by his side, her hand on his shoulder. He turned his face away from her.

"Aang" Katara said again "Kenya is an Airbender," she paused "just like her father." The water fell to the ground with a splash.


	2. Father

**Disclamer: **Nope. Still don't own Avatar. If I did Kataang would no longer have a hope, and I wouldn't be writing fan fics.

**A/N:** This chapters short, I know. I promis three will be longer!

"What did you say?" Aang said, after a few moments of shocked silence. His hands were shaking, and he couldn't bend the water back into the bucket. Katara did it instead, and then turned to him with a serious expression on her face.

"Aang" she said. He refused to meet her gaze, he looked anywhere but her face. His eyes rested on Momo who he walked over to and coaxed onto his shoulder.

"Aang, look at me" Katara ordered. He did. "Kenya's an Airbender, and she needs a teacher." Aang looked away. 'How can she expect this from me?' he thought 'After everything she's put me through she now expects me to teach the child she had with that… that monster? No! I won't do it'

"You expect me to teach the child you had with Zuko?" Aang asked his voice cold.

"Aang -" Katara began.

"I SAID NO!" he shouted at her. She blinked in surprise, and Aang suddenly felt ashamed. He had never yelled at her the whole time he had known her, why should he start now?

"Katara, I'm sorry" he said, his voice softer. "I just can't, it would hurt too much. The only reason I was willing to fight that stupid war was for you. Now you ask me to teach the kid you had with my enemy just because she was born an Airbender? I can't, you see? It's just not possible right now"

"Aang" Katara said her voice gentle. "I'm not asking you to teach Zuko's child. I'm asking you to train your daughter. Zuko may have helped me to raise her, but she's your daughter, and an Airbender through and through."

"I'm not her father" Aang said, tears in his eyes "I wasn't there to see her first steps, but you were, and Zuko was. I didn't hear her first word, but you did, and Zuko did. I wasn't there when she grew up; I wasn't there to dry her eyes when she was sad, I wasn't there to take care of her when she was sick. I wasn't there Katara! Nothing can every make that right. I may have helped to create her, but I will never be her father."

"But she'll always be your daughter" Katara whispered. Only silence greeted her words.

"I'll do it" Aang said, breaking the silence that had gathered so thickly in the air.

"Thank you Aang!" Katara said, flinging her arms around his neck. "I knew you would." The hug broke and they stepped back a few paces, avoiding each others eyes. 'What happened to us Katara?' Aang thought, feeling his heart squeeze as the words entered his mind. 'We used to be so close. We used – well I used – to dream of an us.'

"We'll stay the night" she said at last "but after that me and Zuko will have to be off. Kenya is going to have another playmate someday soon." Katara placed a hand on her stomach, which Aang now noticed was slightly swollen.

"It's been to long, Katara," Aang said, tears in his eyes "much to long." He tried to think of a way to tell her … well, everything. That he still loved her after all the time that had gone by, that he wished she could stay for longer, that she had made a mistake in marring Zuko but he forgave her and he'd let her come back, that he'd never forget her.

"I don't want to lose you again" was what he finally settled on. Her clear blue eyes fogged up with tears and suddenly he was in her arms again.

"Oh Aang!" she cried, tears rolling down her slender cheeks and onto Aang's shoulder. "I'd love to stay, you know I would! It's just…" she looked to where Zuko had disappeared with Kenya "I have a family now." They drew apart again, but slower this time. They stood close to one another, hands just barely touching. They were still for what could be a second or a year, Aang couldn't tell which.

"I'm sorry Aang." she said in the end her voice choked with tears. She turned her head away. "For everything" then she walked away slowly. As if on cue, Zuko came out of the room, took one look at Katara, put hand around her shoulder then led her into the spare room. He shot one last hateful glare at Aang and then disappeared through the door behind her.


	3. Teacher

**Disclamer: **Avatar - and these charecters ('cept for Kenya of course) - are, sadly, not mine.

**A/N: **This chapter is weired, I know, hope you like it anyway. Please R&R!

After a tearful goodbye from Kenya and a slightly drawn back one from Aang, Katara and Zuko were off. Though he had appeared distant and uncaring when they said there final goodbye, Aang watched Katara leave with a heavy hart, and his eyes were moist when he turned away. He still couldn't grasp the fact that she was with Zuko now, or the fact that she was pregnant. It didn't seem right, it didn't seem… like Katara to him. All the time he had known her Katara had harbored a great loathing for all Firenation, but she hated none more than Zuko. True she had loved the Blue Spirit but her hate for the firebending prince had always outweighed that fact – or so it had seemed. He turned back inside, almost tripping over Kenya.

"Sorry" he said quickly.

"It's all right" she said. "I know enough airbending to deflect you if you were to fall on me." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and looked at him with her calm grey eyes. "Are we going to start now? I'm already ten years behind."

"Wha- oh, er, yes, we are" Aang said, snapping out of a trance. He led her out to the barn, lifting up a dusty saddle with the help of airbending. He lay it onto the ground and wet it down with a powerful stream of water he produced from his hands. He flipped it up with the air and then held it in pace with two pillars of rock.

"This saddle needs cleaning" Aang stated. "I've done most of the work, now you dry it off without knocking it off the rocks."

"Aww!" Kenya whined "Do I have to?"

"Appa can't fly with a wet saddle" Aang said with a grin. "and flying bareback is not fun. Trust me!" Kenya let out a gasp and her eyes lit up.

"Were gonna fly?!?" she let out a shrill squeak of excitement and lifted into the air for a moment.

"Can you call yourself an Airbender if you haven't?" Aang asked with a smile "of course were gonna fly! I want you to have the best possible learning environment, and your mothers not going to come visiting for at least a few months, were going to where I grew up – the southern air temple! So lets get this saddle cleaned so we can go!" Kenya immediately started whooshing air at the saddle, but it flipped off the rocks and onto the ground. Aang flipped it back up onto the pillars.

"Why can't you just put some earth on all sides of it Sifu-Aang?" Kenya asked.

"Because I want to challenge you, Kenyasan" Aang replied. "If I put a ring of earth around it you would find the task easy. You need to learn to make the wind obey you. Now if you don't mind I'm going to go pack up our supplies."

An hour or two later Appa was saddled and ready to go. The fluffy bison yawned in protest as Aang and Kenyasan tied on the last of their supplies, but you could tell by the glint in his big brown eyes that he was happy to fly once again. Aang took him out regularly so that he never got board, but he hadn't been on a big trip since Aang had moved out here. The sun was over halfway up in the sky by the time they set off, Aang had firmly insisted that they had something to eat before the flight because he wouldn't land until they had made good headway.

"Come on Momo!" Aang called once he was on Appa and had the reigns in hand. The lemur came soaring out of the house and landed comfortably on Appa's saddle where he firmly wrapped his tail around one of the loops in it.

"Appa! Yip yip" Aang called and the huge beast defied all rules of logic and rose into the air.

"Road trip!" Kenyasan shouted into the wind. She thought for a minuet. "or rather… AIR TRIP!" she and Aang both laughed at this, Appa just grunted and continued to fly south. Aang and Kenyasan had the same laugh, even if they were at different pitches, they were the same long string of sound, and there was no doubt that they were somehow related.

Kenyasan hooked her legs in one of the loops in Appa's saddle and leaned out over into the open air. Aang looked worried and ran over to her, ready to catch her if she fell, but she just curved her feet around the saddle and let out a shrill cry of joy that turned into a long laugh. Aang went back to his position on Appa's head, giving him a little nudge in the right direction, and pulling back on the reins to slow him a bit, just in case.

Kenyasan looked down at the world below her with wonder in her grey eyes. Her long blonde hair flew out behind her, whipping around in the wind and always managing to get in her face, she'd really have to tie it up if she intended to do this often, which she did. She saw a long procession of people in red walking in a line towards the house they had just left. There was a boy in the front riding one of those Komodo Rhinos that her father had told her were all dead. 'Sifu-Aang sure is a popular guy' she thought, looking up at the Airbender and then back to the procession. Then they went over a hill covered with trees and the group disappeared from view.

With a bit of struggle Kenyasan made her way back onto the saddle and got comfortable in the back. The sun was setting in the sky, but neither Aang nor Appa showed any sign of landing. Kenyasan curled up among the bags in the back and settled into a slightly uneasy sleep.

I opened my eyes to a scene much different than the one I had fallen asleep to. I gasped as a large heat wave hit me, making me shield my eyes from the searing warmth with my arm. I squinted at my surroundings and almost cried out. Everything around me was burnt to a crisp, even the ground was blackened. All around me things were dead or dying, I couldn't stand it. I could feel the pain of all those things, the trees cried out silently while their bark burned, and the animals screamed in agony.

There was a small circle around me of living things. The dirt beneath my feet was soil crawling with plant life. On my solder sat a small, odd creature. It had a striped body that was covered in black, brown, and orange fur. It had little ears that were shaped like triangles and had tufts of white hair coming out of them, and its eyes were like tiny emeralds with flakes of gold in them. It had small white paws and a little white chest that rose and fell quickly like it was afraid.

I cupped the little creature in my hands. It sat there and made a rumbling sound, wrapping its striped tail around my arm and rubbing its head against my wrist. Suddenly I felt an overwhelming urge to protect it and all the things in her circle, which each passing heat wave was eating away at. I grew angry and a great wall of air surrounded me and the tiny beast, and all of the plants around my feet.

Footsteps filled the silence and a dark figure about my height stepped from the shadows. He was dressed in deep blood reds and blacks that offset his pale skin. Each step he took left behind a ring of smoldering, destructive fire in the shape of his boot. He came right up to my swirling mass of protective air. I boldly held his amber gaze with my own knowing grey one. He looked taken aback for a moment, and then smiled mockingly, his lips thin and tight.

"Hello" he said, his voice cold, his tone pitiless.

I said nothing, but looked at this dark man with up most loathing.

"I said hello." he said, sounding annoyed now "Aren't you going to great me?"

"Get out of here before I make you leave!" I spat. He merely laughed at my threat, as if I was no more than an insect and he some great ruler of men.

"You?" he asked, humor in his voice "Kenken, you know you wouldn't dare hurt me!" He smirked as my shocked expression.

"I, however," he began, forming a ball of fire in his hands "have no such qualms about eradicating you before you actually grow powerful enough to cause a disturbance for me." He shot the fire straight at me and I screamed.

"Kenyasan!" Aang cried, he was at my side the minuet I cried out. "Are you O.K.? What happened?" he held a damp cloth to my head, a worried expression on his face. I slowly opened my eyes and raised a hand to my forehead. I still had the last image from my dream fresh in my mind, the swirling ball of fire soaring straight at my face.

I blinked and looked around me. I was on the ground, but it was a brown color, not scorched black, the trees were silent, and the only sounds made by animals were the chirps and squeaks of early morning. There was a fire cackling nearby, I gasped and scooted back.

"Put that out!" I demanded, looking at Aang with fright in my grey eyes.

"Why?" Aang asked, looking confused.

"Just put it out!" I said, scooting even further back. Aang did so and then looked back at me, if he had looked worried before it was nothing compared to now.

"What's wrong?" he asked "What happened? I heard you scream"

"Nothing" I lied "I just had a bad dream." I looked at Aang pleadingly "No more fires please."

"No more fires" he replied.

"Promise?" I asked.

"Monks honor" he said, his voice solemn, I could tell that he meant it, and I felt bad about lying to him, but I didn't want anyone to know about my dream. It was personal. I shivered and hugged my knees to my chest, letting my hair fall over her eyes like a protective wall.

The earth rumbled and shook at the southern air temple as a rock crashed down into a wall and smashed into a thousand pieces. It was no use, the door didn't break, she couldn't get in. The girl gave a curse and sat on the ground in a slump. Her hair was short and black; her eyes were a pale, unseeing green. She placed her hand on the ground and held still for a few moments.

"Yup" she said to seemingly no-one. "It's defiantly coming from in there. Now how do I get in? It seems damn near earthbending proof!" She tried to ding herself into the ground to get in that way, but it resisted her. She let out a muffled curse.

"Now how am I supposed to get inside?" she said "Go find Aang again? Like that'll work! He probably hates me now, I forgot to visit four years in a row! I guess I'll just have to wait for something to happen" she said with a grumble and sat down.

A long procession of people all dressed in red stopped in front of the shabby building that was said to have housed the Avatar. The leader of the group, a boy who looked to be about nine, thrust his hand out and the whole line of people stopped. He jumped from his Komodo Rhino and landed with a soft thump. His amber eyes glinted as he walked into the deserted shack. He was dressed in blood reds and blacks, and a wicked smile decorated his pale face. He dropped the smile to be replaced by his best sorrowful look as he faced the troops.

"The Avatar has stolen my sister" he said "We will leave him no place to return to when we have recovered her. Burn the house" he leaped back onto the Komodo Rhino and pointed to where he had seen the Avatar disappear off to. "And follow that bison!" He started off, leaving the once homey building a pile of ashes.

"Were getting you back Kenken" he whispered "Weather you like it or not."


	4. The Southern Air Temple

**Disclaimer: **I own naught at all - besides some gum, a bit to many books, and my computer - deffinatly not Avatar.

**A/N: **Not much to say here. Hope you enjoy, please R&R

"Here we are!" Aang said cheerily while he looked over his old home with nostalgia "The southern air temple, the place I grew up!"

"Wow" Kenyasan said, awed. "It looks" she fell silent, apparently lost for words "It looks - I don't know how to put it – amazing, wonderful, great, huge," she paused "home" she said the last word with a softer tone as if fully appreciating the word.

Appa landed with agonizing slowness for both of the airbenders. One couldn't wait to see what was like a whole new world to her; the other just wanted to finally go home. Aang had decided not to come here once the war was over because he thought it would remind him to much of everything that had happened, but now that he was here the memories felt good. By the time Appa was close to the ground both of them had jumped off and were using the air to slow their landing.

"Can I go?" Kenyasan asked, tugging on Aang's sleeve as if she was five instead of ten. She didn't wait for an answer and was already running down the temples long corridors. Aang laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Just don't leave the temple!" he cried after her.

"I won't! Not ever!" Kenyasan shouted back.

"And don't get into trouble!" he yelled. He got no reply, but he thought that she had heard him.

Aang smiled to himself, and then got to work unsaddling Appa. Once he was done the furry animal gave a grunt and flew off, Momo riding atop the arrow on his head. Aang irbended the saddle and its contents off the ground and carried them down a wide archway to where they used to keep all the old saddles. Some of them were still there, stillmusty smelling, it reminded Aang of times long ago. He remembered all the times he had landed Appa here, how before he had bonded with the big bison he had watched with awe while older airbenders flew on theirs.

"AHHHHHHHH!" The eleven year old boy wailed as the air rushed past him. "Appa! SLOW DOWN!" he screamed, clutching to the white fur for dear life. He tugged upward, trying to get his ride to slow down, but it was no use, Appa seemed determined to fly straight into the wall at top speed.

Suddenly the bison turned sharply and stopped in the docking place where a bunch of his friends were cheering.

"Way to go Aang!"

"That was awesome!"

"Was it fun?"

"Did you see when he –"

"Yeah, and when –"

"That was so cool!"

"I can't believe you didn't fall off!"

"Neither can I!" Aang said, sliding off Appa and wobbling for a second. Then he blinked at them and asked "How long did I make it for?"

"A whole ten minuets!" said one of the boys.

"Really?" Aang smiled "New record!" he jumped up and punched the air.

Aang smiled as he remembered that day. He had felt so proud, setting the record for staying on. Bare back riding still wasn't his favorite things, but he had gotten better at it. Being home again didn't hurt nearly as much as he thought it did, and as he walked through the halls, touching old relics from his past and remembering things he hadn't thought about in years, he found himself smiling at the memories. And though some of them brought tears to his eyes, he wasn't truly sad. He missed them, true, but the memories of them were of the happy moments in their life, when their souls had shone brightest, and Aang knew they would not want him to remember them with tears.

"I won't! Not ever!" I shouted as she ran down the corridors. "This place is too wonderful to leave." I ran until my feet felt tired, stopping by a large fountain, now run dry. It was dusty and had cobwebs in it, not how it was meant to look, I knew. Using the bit of airbending I had taught myself, I carefully blew out the left over debris that had been sitting on the bottom of the fountain. I dusted her hands off, thinking: 'Not bad for a first timer!' with a smile.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" A gruff voice shouted, making me jump. The voice continued, angry now "Don't you know this place is sacred? What gives you the right to go and change it?"

I turned around to face a sturdy looking blind woman. I cowered for a second, but then thought 'I have as much right to be here as her, if not more. I'm an Airbender!'

"I am Kenyasan, daughter of Katara and Zuko. I am here to learn airbending" I said, my head held high and pride in my voice. I looked to the woman to see what she thought of this, her voice was straight, emotionless.

"Zuko is dead" she said "I felt him die, and neither he nor Katara were airbenders, therefore you cannot be. The last of the airbenders had no child."

"No he is not!" I said, angry and upset "Mother got him out of that volcano; he's told me the story before, that's why his whole face is burned. And I am to an Airbender! I don't know how, but I am!"

"I don't like being lied to" the woman said, like it was a warning. Suddenly, the ground began to shake below my feet.

Aang looked up as he felt the earth rumble. He dropped the ball he was holding – a wooden one that he used to play with along with his friends – and cursed.

"I thought I told her to stay out of trouble!" he said, running full speed down the hall. "What could she possibly have -" he stopped as a wave of earth spread outward and just barely managed not to fall over. The stones fell exactly into place, apparently the attack had been meant only to knock the attacker's opponent off balance without damaging the temple. He ran into the large room where the fight was taking place – the fountain room where the baby bison would sleep if it got to cold out, and where they were fed – and skidded to a halt.

"STOP!" he shouted. Both Kenyasan and her attacker froze. "The southern air temple is not a place to be fighting! If your gonna have a disagreement take it outside and have it with someone other than my pupil!" Aang turned to Kenyasan "As for you" he said, and she cowered back "I thought I said stay out of trouble!"

"She started it!" Kenyasan said, pointing an accusing finger across the room.

"I DON'T CARE WHO STARTED IT!" Aang shouted, turning around and ready to shout 'I'M GONNA FINISH IT!' when he saw who it was that had been attacking Kenyasan.

"Toph?" he said questioningly, head tilted to one side. "Is that you?"

"Who else would it be? Ozai?" Toph said ""course it's me, twinkle toes!"

"Hey!" Aang said "I mastered earthbending! I don't think you have the right to call me that anymore, and I don't want you giving her" he pointed to Kenyasan "any ideas!" Toph just laughed at this. She inconspicuously kicked the ground with her heel and a chunk of rock sent Aang flying into the air and crashing back down again.

"Still think I don't have right anymore?" she asked with a smirk.

"All right, all right you got me!" Aang said, sorely rubbing his rear end. "Do me a favor?" he asked "Next time you show me up with earthbending, don't do it in front of her?"

"Aww, but its fun to embarrass you twinkle toes!" Toph said with a smile in her voice. She just never got tired of teasing him, did she?

"Hang on a second!" Kenyasan's voice came from across the room. "Sorry to ruin the moment here, but… Who is she?" she pointed at Toph "Why is she here? And why was she attacking me?"

"Oh" Aang said "Kenyasan, this is Toph, my earthbending teacher. Toph, this is Kenyasan, Katara's daughter. I'll explain later. As to what she's doing here" Aang paused, turning to Toph "what are you doing here? I thought you returned to Jang Town to regain your title at Earth Rumble 6"

"I did, but it had kinda fallen apart after I left." Toph explained "Something about the owner selling it, it's just not the same anymore. Then I started feeling these odd vibrations coming from the south. I followed them here and tried to get in to the room they were coming from, and they stopped. There's something in there though, and I need an airbender to get inside. If the vibrations could reach me all the way in Jang Town I figured it was probably important. When I came here I felt foot patterns similar to the ones you have, so I followed them to sugar queen mark two here and found her cleaning out the hole over there. I thought that she shouldn't be touching anything in this temple so I started yelling at her. She told me she was Katara and Zuko's kid, and I knew that Zuko was dead, so I got mad. I don't like it when people lie to me."

"Zuko's not dead" Aang said "but we can talk about that later, lets go find out what you felt all the way back at your house. I bet I know which room it's in, but you lead the way, just in case I'm wrong."

Toph led them to the Avatar room. Her attempts to open the door were evident in the crushed rocks that now lay in small piles along the ground. The door, however, was untouched, still as smooth as the day Aang first saw it, if a little weather worn.

"I threw everything I had and more at it" Toph was explaining as they approached "but it wouldn't budge! Thought maybe you would be able to do something about it, twinkle toes."

"I can" Aang replied, getting into an airbending stance. He shot a long, solid stream of cold air into one of the pipes, and then waited as each of the three blue circles turned purple and the door opened.

A giant roar shook the whole temple and the group took a step back and got in fighting stance, ready for whatever was going to come out.


	5. Ankh

**Disclaimer: **Avatar is still not mine sniff and the only way I could get money from this is if the creators came up to me and said 'We like your ideas, have some money' which, as of yet, they have not, nor will in the forseeable future.

**A/N: **I tried to write suspesfully here, chances are it didn't work, but at least it got you hope full. Enjoy. Please R&R

Two large green-and-gold-flaked eyes gleamed like malicious balls of earthly flame in the darkness. Ivory-white claws as long as two broadswords held hilt to tip flashed in the great grey openness of the room. Aang could hear saliva drop to the beat of huge paws making a _whump_ on the stone floor.

"Toph?" He asked, doing all he could to keep the panic growing in him from reaching his voice.

"Yeah?" came her reply, confident as ever. She shifted into a better bending stance and Aang could see her preparing to get up a defense shield – a big one. He could tell she was scared, and that frightened him all the more. During the time that had traveled together all those years ago he had grown to think of her as unmovable, untouchable, the one who never lost her cool, and now she was scared, doubting her bending stance. Whatever it was in that room – it wasn't good.

"What can you feel?" He asked "I need to know what were up against."

Toph said nothing, concentration masking her face for a second before it went awash with fear. Her eyes went wide but still her mouth remained firmly shut, as if she was afraid something might escape from it. Something like a scream.

"Toph!" Aang shouted turning around to face her, grabbing her by the arms, and shaking her gently but firmly. "Toph, I need to know what's back there!" She looked shocked for a few seconds more, then opened her mouth to speak.

The words never left her mouth. They never had a chance. The what-ever-it-was that had been in the Avatar Room wasn't in there anymore, it was out here. With them. It was huge, and all Aang could think was –

"RUN!" he shouted. "Toph, take care of Kenyasan, get her out of here!" a brave look came over his face and he swung his staff around to face the creature.

"What about you?" Toph asked, was that worry in her sightless eyes? "It could kill you!"

"I'm the Avatar, right?" Aang said, and Toph nodded reluctantly. "I'm supposed to deal with things! Now go!"

"You heard the man!" Toph said, to Kenyasan now "lets get the heck outta here! I may not be able to see that thing, but I can feel it, and it feels pretty damn big!"

I felt the tug on my arm as Toph desperately tried to get me to flee, but I didn't budge. I had been scared before, when I couldn't see what was hunting them, oh yes, I had been positively terrified. Not anymore though, now everything seemed… I don't know… right. I was supposed to be here, this was supposed to happen, I knew that the giant thing wouldn't hurt me, it wasn't allowed to. It might hurt Aang though, and I couldn't let that happen, he was my teacher. More importantly – even if he didn't know it – he was my father. How to get it to stop though, that was the problem.

I looked more closely at the beast, the she-beast I should probably say, seeing as it was indeed a girl. I cocked my head slightly; it seemed almost… familiar to me, as if I had known it in some past version of myself. 'It's markings…' I thought 'how strange, those lines across its back, I wonder what there useful for. It is quite the odd creature.'

The beast had great yellowing fangs that dripped saliva that hissed like poison when it touched the ground. Its eyes were huge and round, full of wild ferocity and unspent strength. Its great hulking shoulders were tight yet bulgy at the same time. It was on all fours, and covered completely with black, brown, and orange fur striped along its back. Its ears were triangular with large white strands of knotted hair springing from them. Its chest and paws were a grubby brown-yellow, but it was obvious that they had once been a brilliant white.

The inspection of her pelt must have sparked something in the back of my mind, something perhaps from a dream. A small creature sitting on my shoulder, a… kitten it was called? I remembered thinking what an odd little thing it was, and then a sudden urge to protect it, to mother it. 'Come on Kenken!' I thought to myself 'There's got to be something useful in that great head of yours. Think!' Suddenly it came to me out of nowhere, popping into my mind like a snake on Easter. How could I be sure though? What if it was wrong? If it made things worse? 'Nothing else to do but try!' I thought to myself. 'Let's hope your right Kenyasan, daughter of Katara and Zuko, child of the Avatar. Here goes nothing!'

"Ankh?" I asked, my voice soft, tentative. The world didn't split in half; I tried again, louder this time, more confident.

"Ankh? Ankh is that you? Is that your name?"

The thing looked up, its eyes showing puzzlement, unsureness, and also… recognition? It stopped its assault on Aang and started padding toward me, its great paw steps quiet now on the stone corridor. When it stood before me, its great hulking mass went still and it gave me a delicate sniff. My heart raced, true I still did not feel as if this beast meant me any harm, but that didn't mean that it might not accidentally kill me. All her in instincts told me to run but somewhere in a far corner of my mind I knew I must stay utterly frozen and hide my fear.

"Mrrow?" the beast said a questioning tone to the noise. It seemed to have a voice disproportionate to its size, as if it were only a child, but I distinctly remembered it sounding much more adultish only moments ago. Something was changing about it, I noted as well, it was getting smaller, shrinking before their very eyes. I couldn't help it, I stared, so did Aang, and Toph probably would have, if she could see, instead she started asking questions.

"Where is it?" she barked "What's going on? And what's that little thing in front of miss fancy feet here?"

"Um… I think its name is Ankh." I said confusion evident in my voice. I looked down at what had been a ferocious bloodthirsty beast only seconds before. It was the creature from my dream, a kitten – I had no idea how I knew what it was, but I did. I had never seen a kitten before, or the cats they were said to become, but I knew somehow that this was indeed one.

"Well what is Ankh?" Toph said her tone impatient.

"It's a- I think she's a kitten" I said, bending down and holding my hand out to her. Ankh hopped into my palm, making a sound like a tiny engine and wrapping her tail around my arm.

"What's it doing now?" the earthbender asked again.

"I dunno, I've never seen one in person before" I said truthfully "but it seems happy, I must be doing something right"

"How did you know what to do?" Aang asked, his tone more curious than accusatory, but there was a hint of suspicion in it. 'Why don't you trust me?' I wanted to scream 'I'm your daughter, why do you have to question everything I do? Just because you didn't know I existed? You know now! Why don't you trust me? It is because of my dad? What do you have against him? What happened back when you were young to make you despise him so? Why must you take it out on me?'

"I don't know" was what came out though. "I think I dreamt it, but I don't remember clearly enough. There was fire… everything was dead… and she" I indicated Ankh "was there, with me… and even though it was burning, it was cold, so cold…" I shuddered at the memory "everything was dark, and this man came to me. He spoke of things… things I shouldn't be able to hear, he was going to kill me, and," this was the part that was worst of all to me "and I knew him. We grew up together, we used to be close, I know we did, but now I can't remember who he was. The second I realized that was I woke up, and couldn't remember a thing." I was shaking now, the pictures from my dream coming back so vivid it was painful, but I could never see quite see his face, or hear his voice, it was… _skewed_ somehow. My poor ten year old mind couldn't take the strain of reliving her nightmare. I could feel the flames hot on my skin as the fireball flew towards me. The searing orange-and-red death was inches from my face, so close that I could see each individual lick of fire as it reached out to caress me with their burning fingers.

"NO!" I screamed, and the world went black.


	6. The Words of the Wind

**Disclaimer: **Nope. Still don't own Avatar. If I did would I be here, writing this?

**A/N:** Finally! I end with suspense! Or so I hope. Tell me what you think, please R&R

* * *

"Kenyasan!" Aang cried, rushing over to catch her, but having to resort to airbending as he arrived too late. "Oh god, Katara's going to kill me!" he said while trying to wake the girl up. He splashed water on her face repeatedly and shook her, but it wasn't working. "Crap!" 

"Will you please tell me what's going on?" Toph said, being blind she couldn't see Kenyasan faint, but she should be able to feel it through the earth.

"Kenyasan fainted" Aang replied simply, still trying to revive her.

"I'm not stupid!" Toph said "I could feel her heart rate drop and her fall to the floor. I naturally assumed she had fainted. What I want to know is how you ended up training an airbender that Katara had with Zuko! Oh, and by the way, how is she? I'm glad to hear your on speaking terms again, it's about time."

"It's a long story" Aang said, not wanting to talk about it.

"Judging by how sleeping beauty here is snoring, I'd say we've got a while." Toph said, annoying Aang endlessly with her persistence. "Lay it on me, I'm all ears."

"But-" Aang began, ready to start protesting again. Toph shot him a glare and he shut his mouth.

"All right, fine!"

* * *

The world in which I opened my eyes was much different that the painful memory I had just left. It wasn't the burned down forest in the least, nor was it the Air Temple in which I had stood only moments before. I was on a grassy hill and could see Ankh playing in kitten form below me, chasing after a butterfly or some such. 

A small leaf fell perfectly towards the ground, but before it could ever hit the grass it was captured in my hand. It was a dead brownish color, odd for this seemingly summer scene, a reminder of death in the presence of such vibrant life. On a sudden strange impulse I spoke a word from no human language I had ever heard, yet the words rolled off my tongue more smoothly than English ever had.

"De Lente opnieuw" I whispered into the air, the words gentle, growing. The leafe gained some color. I gasped in shock as it underwent this transformation.

"Terugkeer naar de groei van de Zomers" I spoke again, louder this time, my voice trembling with anticipation. Before my wondering eyes the leave flattened itself in the palm of my hand, until it became green and full like it was fresh from the tree. 'Time for one last test Kenyasan,' I thought to myself 'time to see what you can really do!' I opened my mouth to speak, and again the words I didn't know filled my head.

"Door:sturen, aan het ijs van dood" this time the words were harsh, sharp, and cold, not at all like the warm flowing growth of the first two phrases. In my hand the leaf withered and turned to dust in seconds instead of the seasons it should take. Fear of power laced my blood as I saw what I could do, but along side that fear lay ambition, slowly clawing its way up to supremacy where it would battle to fear for control of the girl in which it lay.

* * *

"Have you delivered my letter?" Katara asked Jang, the Fire Lord's personal mail man. She was dressed all in the reds and pinks of the Firenation with a crown atop her brown head and one hand rested delicately on her swollen stomach. 

"No my lady" Jang said with a deep apologetic bow.

"And," Katara began, her voice dangerously sweet "why might that be?"

"Please my lady" Jang said with another bow "I went to the place you directed, but when I arrived all that was left was… a pile of ashes."

"Ashes?!?" Katara asked in obvious dismay. "Are you sure you went to the right place? Absolutely positive?"

"Completely my lady" Jang said, removing a pouch from his belt. "I also found this," he handed her the leather bag with a ceremonious dip of the head "and a trail heading south."

"A trail? Why didn't you say so?" Katara asked, taking the bag from Jang and opening it with great care. She poured the contents into her open palm and used a finger to separate the small objects within from the soot around it. Three red glass beads, a ferrous ring, and a small patch of black cloth lay amid the blackened remains of old wood. "Sugi" she whispered, closing her hand tightly.

"What my lady?" Jang asked as he tried to catch the last words his Lady of the Firenation had spoken.

"Nothing" Katara quickly covered "Jang, tell His Esteemed Fire Lord Zuko that I wish to hold a meeting with him immediately"

"Yes my lady!" Jang said, quickening his step as he left in search of the Fire Lord. Lady Katara only ever called him by his full title if it was something important or she was upset. In either case it was wisest on his part to make haste.

* * *

"Unn" I groaned, raising the hand that I wasn't using to support me to rub my temple. "My head… what happened?" I looked around, I was in the air temple again, but Aang and Toph were no-where to be seen. Ankh was my only source of companionship in the little hall. Struggling a bit I managed to get up and look around, but I could see no sign of where they would have gone. 

"That's odd" I said to the little kitten that had just jumped into my lap "I wonder where they went?" Absentmindedly I rubbed her fluffy head and she made that motor noise again. She looked up at me with her slightly oversized head and let out a little Mrrow to get my attention. I let out a laugh at her persistence but it died on my lips as I looked at her eyes. Those piercing green-and-gold eyes that remained the same when she changed and held to much knowledge for such a young creature, they seemed to look into my soul. I gave a slight shiver and my breath caught for a second at the sight.

"C-can you understand me?" I asked, my voice quiet, shaking.

"Meow" was the only reply – what more could I expect from a kitten? – as Ankh jumped off of my lap and began padding outside. She paused at the entrance way and looked back at me as if to say 'Well? Are you coming?' I looked at her quizzically. How did I end up with such a weird pet? If you could call Ankh a pet, she was more of her own creature. I guess that's what you should expect from being the child of the Avatar!

"Aang said I wasn't supposed to leave the Air Temple" I told the little cat. Great, now I'm TALKING to animals. What's next? Shadowbending?

Ankh gave me a look I took to mean 'If you say so' and continued on her way to the outside of the temple. Now I was truly alone, not even the little cat thing to keep me company. After a few seconds I decided I couldn't take it any longer, I ran outside, looking around for Ankh.

"Mew" came the tiny voice; she had been waiting for me outside the entranceway. If cats could smirk I'd swear that she was doing exactly that judging by the way those eyes sparkled, the tilt of her head, and the slight hint of amusement in her voice. Suddenly though, her face became dead serious as she continued on, growing as she went until she was about up to my waist. Though her fangs weren't as big as they were when she was fully grown they still looked sharp and formidable. I followed her in silence.

We came to a balcony and Ankh stopped, looking at me with those ever intelligent green eyes. Her meaning was clear: what I did now was up to me alone, but if I needed her help she would be there. I looked over the edge of the balcony; below it was a long procession of people in the reds and golds that mother had once told me were the colors of the old Firenation. Several feet in front of them stood a young male dressed in a deeper shade of red and black. I froze.

It was him.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm always open to idea's, even if I know the stories ultimate ending. If you have something to say tell me. If I put it in I'll make you a drabble or a picture or somethin'.


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